1,900-year-old warrior’s grave unearthed in Bulgaria. See the gold treasures inside
Brushing away the dark brown soil of southern Bulgaria, archaeologists noticed some shiny items reemerging. They’d unearthed an ancient warrior’s grave — one still filled with treasures.
The excavation in Kapitan Petko voyvoda began as part of the construction of a solar panel park, the Sofia Globe, a Bulgarian news outlet, reported on Aug. 23, citing Bulgarian National Television.
As archaeologists dug, they found the 1,900-year-old grave of a Thracian warrior, the Municipality of Topolovgrad said in a Facebook post. The horseman was identified as an aristocrat likely employed by the Romans.
When he died, the ancient warrior was cremated and buried next to his horse, officials said. An aerial photo shows the grave.
The grave also included several gold artifacts and multiple weapons. Photos show a few of these precious items.
One gold necklace appears to have a braided design with several lantern-shaped pendants inset with red stones, a photo shows. A rectangular gold bracelet has a similar design with red stones arranged in a flower-like pattern.
Archaeologists identified the jewelry as a single set, likely made by the same artisans, according to Sakar News, a Bulgarian news outlet. Another large gold bracelet from the grave weighed about 14 ounces, just under a pound.
Photos show the front and back of this thick gold bracelet. Several red stones are inlaid in the gold ring, including a heart-shaped stone.
The warrior was also buried with a full set of armor, archaeologists said, according to the Sofia Globe and another Bulgarian news outlet, Petel.
Another photo shared by officials on Facebook shows one of the knives found in the grave. Its handle appears to have the same red stones.
The Thracians were a poorly known ancient people who lived primarily in modern-day Bulgaria, according to an article from Ancient Bulgaria. They were “famously disunited politically,” typically living in small groups.
“The Thracians had a reputation of fierce warriors” and were often hired as mercenaries by other groups, including the Romans, Ancient Bulgaria said. These horseman-warriors were generally elite Thracians. Non-elite people “made their living in agriculture and crafts.”
Thracian tribes were “eventually expelled or absorbed by Greek, Persian, and Roman colonies,” according to Britannica.
The artifacts found in the 1,900-year-old grave will be moved to a nearby museum, the Sofia Globe reported.
Kapitan Petko voyvoda is a village in Topolovgrad, near the border with Turkey and a roughly 200-mile drive southeast of Sofia
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook posts from the Municipality of Topolovgrad and articles from Sakar News and Petel.
This story was originally published August 29, 2024 at 12:04 PM with the headline "1,900-year-old warrior’s grave unearthed in Bulgaria. See the gold treasures inside."
